Tennessee Agriculture
Total farms: 69,983
Average farm size: 155 acres
41% of the land in Tennessee is farmland.
Economic impact: $81 BILLION
351,000 people in Tennessee employed by agriculture and forestry.
Farmers markets: 160
Top commodities: soybeans, cattle & calves, broiler chickens, fresh-market tomatoes and dairy products
Production value: $4,228,143
57% crops & 43% livestock
Beef cattle are produced in every county in Tennessee.
Tennessee is one of the top beef-producing states in the nation.
In 2018, cattle and calves brought $548.8 million in cash receipts.
In 2019, Tennessee had an inventory of close to one million cattle and calves.
Cattle and Calves rank #2 in the state for total cash receipts.
Tennessee ranks 17th in corn acreage in the U.S. and 18th in total corn for grain production.
The largest corn-producing counties in the state are in the western and central regions.
In 2018, corn brought in $385.5 million in cash receipts with nearly 113 million bushels of corn for grain and 722,000 tons of corn for silage.
In 2018, the crop brought $231.6 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee farmers harvested 355,000 acres of upland cotton in 2018 that resulted in a production of 770,000 bales of the crop, each weighing 480 pounds.
The majority of the crop is grown in the Western and Delta part of the state.
Tennessee has six commercial milk processing plants in Nashville, Murfreesboro, Memphis, Powell and Athens.
A typical Tennessee dairy farm has a herd of about 170 milking cows.
The state is home to approximately 185 registered dairies.
In 2018, dairy products brought $109.4 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee’s forests cover 14 million acres, or 52% of the state.
Farmers across Tennessee harvested 1.72 million acres of hay in 2018, including 20,000 acres of alfalfa, resulting in the production of 4.231 million tons of hay.
In 2018, hay brought $157.4 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee ranks No. 7 in the U.S. for hay production.
In 2017, Tennessee had a total inventory of 225,000 hogs.
In 2018, hogs brought $79.5 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee ranks No. 21 in the U.S. for hog production.
Tennessee’s poultry industry has an overall economic impact of $6.55 billion.
Tennessee produced 177.3 million head of broiler chickens in 2018.
Poultry provides more than 27,000 direct and indirect jobs and accounts for over $438 million paid annually in state and federal taxes.
Broilers brought in $525.3 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee currently ranks 16th in the U.S. for number of broilers on farms.
Soybeans are planted on more acres than any other row crop in Tennessee and is currently the #1 commodity in the state in cash receipts.
In 2018, Tennessee farmers harvested 1.67 million acres of soybeans, which resulted in a total production of 75.985 million bushels of the crop.
Cash receipts for soybeans in 2018 totaled $655.3 million.
In 2018, Tennessee soybeans brought in $655.3 million in cash receipts.
Tennessee farmers harvested 15,700 acres of tobacco in 2018 that produced 39.6 million pounds of the crop.
Tennessee ranks No. 4 in the nation for tobacco production
In 2018, tobacco brought in $99.4 million in cash receipts, an 8% share of total U.S. receipts.
Tennessee’s climate is conducive for the production of high-quality, low-protein, soft red winter wheat.
In 2018, wheat brought in $97.2 million in cash receipts.
Farmers harvested 285,000 acres which resulted in the production of more than 18.5 million bushels.
Tennessee ranks No. 21 in the nation for winter wheat production.
